AHIKER
New member
To All Hikers:
I wanted to share with you all a moment in my life that has taken me the last 40 years to reach. This past week I FINALLY completed the 2175 mile Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. I didn't start out to walk the whole trail but it just kind worked its way into my life. My first step on the trail was my hike to North Kinsman on 5/4/1968. This was followed by climbing all the "4000 Footers" of New Hampshire. After that it was the "4000 footers of New England" and finally in 1996 hiking the "Long Trail" in Vermont from Massachusetts to Canada. The Appalachian Trail traverses most of the high mountains in New Hampshire and Vermont so I was doing the AT but not with any goal of actually finishing it - that came later in 1998. That's when I starting walking south on the "AT" and by 2003 had gotten as far as Waynesboro, Virginia. In 2004 I started in Georgia hiking north and this past week reached Waynesboro, VA!!! I will always have trouble grasping that idea that I have walked all that way. I have many fond (and some not so fond) memories of the journey. I am very excited to have finished it before my 70th birthday (this December).
One of the founders of the trail, Benton Mackaye, once made a remark about hikers trying to complete the trail in the shortest amount of time. His comment was that there should only be recognition for those who take the longest to complete it!!! I know that if Benton were alive today he would certainly approve of my 40 year accomplishment.
Thank you for this opportunity to share my happiness with you fello hikers!
Gordon "Renaissance Man" Ripley
Rindge, NH
I wanted to share with you all a moment in my life that has taken me the last 40 years to reach. This past week I FINALLY completed the 2175 mile Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. I didn't start out to walk the whole trail but it just kind worked its way into my life. My first step on the trail was my hike to North Kinsman on 5/4/1968. This was followed by climbing all the "4000 Footers" of New Hampshire. After that it was the "4000 footers of New England" and finally in 1996 hiking the "Long Trail" in Vermont from Massachusetts to Canada. The Appalachian Trail traverses most of the high mountains in New Hampshire and Vermont so I was doing the AT but not with any goal of actually finishing it - that came later in 1998. That's when I starting walking south on the "AT" and by 2003 had gotten as far as Waynesboro, Virginia. In 2004 I started in Georgia hiking north and this past week reached Waynesboro, VA!!! I will always have trouble grasping that idea that I have walked all that way. I have many fond (and some not so fond) memories of the journey. I am very excited to have finished it before my 70th birthday (this December).
One of the founders of the trail, Benton Mackaye, once made a remark about hikers trying to complete the trail in the shortest amount of time. His comment was that there should only be recognition for those who take the longest to complete it!!! I know that if Benton were alive today he would certainly approve of my 40 year accomplishment.
Thank you for this opportunity to share my happiness with you fello hikers!
Gordon "Renaissance Man" Ripley
Rindge, NH
